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White smoke coming from Camry engine


tdm1971
04-13-2006, 01:13 PM
I have a 1994 Toyota Camry 4 cylinder with 120K miles.. Recently there has been some white smoke coming from the front of the engine after I stop the car and turn off the engine. This seems to be an intermittent problem. Also, the smoke is very thin almost like a mist. I have a minor oil leak, no other leaks. All fluid levels are normal and this only happens when the car is hot. Could this just be the leaking oil hitting a hot part of the engine or the front of the tail pipe and burning off or this it something more serious? Any help is appreciated.

Mike Gerber
04-13-2006, 02:46 PM
It's really hard to tell without being there in person. It could be a slight oil leak, a coolant leak, or even a transmissions fluid leak (although transmission fluid rarely gets on anything that can cause the smoke you are seeing). Even if you don't have a lot of experience working on cars, you can lift the hood and observe where the leak is coming from. Just don't touch anything because there a many things under the hood which are very hot and could burn you. Look but don't touch. Then report back here with what you see.

Mike

tdm1971
04-13-2006, 02:53 PM
Mike:

Thank you for the reply. This has happened only a few times, most recently today. I popped the hood as soon as I saw smoke, but there did not seem to be any smoke in the engine area. Is it possible this could just be oil from one of my oil leaks burning off. The smoking is intermittent and does not seem to last more than a couple of seconds. Nothing else is leaking that I can tell (only oil is hitting the ground). Also, the oil leaks don't seem to be that significant. I get my oil changed every 3 months (about 2-3K miles) and I never had to add oil. One other thing, I believe the mechanic added too much oil last time. When I checked the oil level, it was about an inch above the full mark.

Mike Gerber
04-13-2006, 03:57 PM
An inch over the full mark is way too much oil. Are you possibly checking the oil with the engine running? You should check it with the engine off, after waiting at least 10 minutes for the oil to drain back down in to the oil pan. If you are checking the oil level correctly, overfilling by that much can harm your engine. If the crankshaft is sitting in the oil, as it rotates at a very high speed, it will be whipping the oil into a foam. Foams contain air bubbles. Air does not lubricate the vital engine parts as well as pure oil. The oil should be pumped through the engine by the oil pump and sprayed on the vital parts as pure oil. If you are sure you are checking the oil properly and it really is about an inch overfilled, drain some oil out immediately. This overfilling could also be producing increased crank case pressure and causing the oil leaks you are getting. You might also consider taking the car back to whoever changed your oil last time, to document this condition.

Mike

tdm1971
04-13-2006, 04:32 PM
I always check the oil with the engine off. Usually on a weekend morning every other week I check all fluids so the engine is definitely cool. Just checked and it is about 1/4 inch over the Full indicator. Probably has gone down because of the leaks. Is this a possible reason for seeing the intermittent smoke?

Mike Gerber
04-14-2006, 01:37 PM
"Is this a possible reason for seeing the intermittent smoke?"

Yes it is possible that the overfilled amount of oil could have increased the oil pressure a bit and caused some seals to leak. 1/4 inch overfilled now isn't that serious; an inch overfilled was. I would just keep a watch on the oil level now and look around for obvious leaks. You might try checking the oil once a week for a month or so, to give you some peace of mind. You can also use that opportunity to look for the obvious leaks. Coolant leaks can also appear as white smoke (steam) from under the hood, so also keep a watch for those leaks and check the coolant level in the radiator and coolant overflow when the engine is cold.

Mike

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